Propulsion of waterborne vessels is most often accomplished by positioning one or more propellers or other propulsion means at or near the stern of the vessel. This common arrangement provides the motive force to effectively compel and transport the hull of the vessel forward through the water. However, such vessel movement, especially for high-speed conveyance, produces substantial surface drag along the hull of the vessel. This results in adverse operations, including reduction of speed and loss of fuel efficiency.
While there have been some minimal attempts to employ bow-mounted forward propulsion systems for the forward movement of waterborne vessels, see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,551, and planning hulls employing controlled air films, see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,841, none of these prior systems have truly resulted in practical, effective, or efficient bow propulsion systems which have addressed the problem of hull surface drag.